Cards splashed with every colour at Portstewart

As Europe’s and some of the world’s top pros tackle Portstewart — many for the first time — the club’s pro, Neil Graham, watches on knowing exactly what this stunning links course can offer in the way of thrills and challenges.

He has been the pro here for just two-and-a-half years, which contrasts sharply against the club’s course manager, Bernard Findlay, who has been tending the fairways, greens and everything else for over 30 years.

A links course’s main challenge is usually the wind and on Portstewart, where bunkering is sparse, wind is the major factor. The key question then is: What are the prevailing winds?